President Bola Tinubu has again ignored the controversy involving his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, by appointing him to a high-powered committee to drive the implementation of state police.

This is despite the controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and mounting calls for his removal.

The appointment comes days after the Presidency distanced itself from the PFIPC, an agency reportedly granted approvals, budgetary allocations and recruitment waivers before it was later declared non-existent by the Federal Government.

The controversy has triggered widespread public criticism, with opposition figures, civil society organisations and prominent Nigerians demanding a transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the alleged agency and urging the President to suspend or remove officials linked to the matter pending the outcome of such a probe.

However, in what appears to be a strong vote of confidence, Tinubu on Tuesday constituted the Presidential Working Group on the Development of the National Policing Framework and Implementation of State Police, naming Gbajabiamila as a member.

The committee, inaugurated at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, is chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and comprises key government officials, security chiefs and representatives of relevant institutions.

The committee is expected to draft the National Policing Bill and provide the legal and policy framework for the implementation of state police across the country following the ongoing constitutional amendment process.

Other members include the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; the Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Gaidam; the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; and the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, among others.

Tinubu said the committee would play a pivotal role in translating the long-standing demand for state police into a workable legal and institutional framework capable of strengthening internal security and tackling rising insecurity across the federation.

Gbajabiamila's inclusion in the committee is likely to generate fresh debate, coming amid sustained scrutiny over the PFIPC controversy.